You don't need an excuse, do you?
by AAB
Summary: Harm is looking for a reason to or an excuse to or ... until Msc is fed up with his behaviour.


**You don't need an excuse, do you?  
**

_14__th__ of November  
Kitchen JAG headquarters  
Afternoon_  
"Ouch," Mac exclaimed. She wanted to add a few chosen words, but just in time remembered where she was and how her CO thought about his officers swearing. In the mean time she dropped the knife she had used to cut off a piece of cake and looked around for something to wrap around her now bleeding finger. At that moment her co-worker Harm entered the room and he was quick in assessing the situation. He grabbed a paper towel and handed it to Mac. Then he went in search of the first aid kit. In it he found bandages and as soon Mac had cleaned her finger, he carefully wrapped one around it. Then he surprised her by bringing her hand to his mouth and pressing a quick kiss on the injured finger.  
"Kissing the booboo away," he laughed, leaving the kitchen before Mac could formulate an answer. Stunned she looked after him, her hand pressed to her mouth. 

_26__th__ of November  
Washington  
Park  
7.25 local time_  
The only sound was their panting and the rhythmic beat of their running feet. It was almost half past seven and they were at the end of their weekly run. As usual they had plotted their route, had done their stretching and had started their run, first at a moderate pace, then, when they neared the four mile mark, at an increasing speed. To add a bit of spice Harm had asked "Race you to the parking?" Mac had nodded; she never forwent a challenge and he knew it.  
"What does the winner get?" she had asked and he had just grinned wickedly.  
"What he, or she, wants."  
"Okay."  
As usual she got a bit of a head start, after all, as she had pointed out the first time they had raced, his legs were longer.  
The parking was only a hundred yards away and she quickened her pace. She could hear him, a few yards behind her. If only she could keep up the speed … Harm realised he had to be fast, if he wanted to beat her. With an effort he accelerated. Side by side they raced the final fifty yards until Harm, in the final ten yards, managed to pass by her. He had beaten her, although only with a foot or so.  
They stood bent over, trying to stabilize their breath. Mac wondered what he would claim as his prize. She knew him too well to assume he would let go. But he said nothing.  
"Can you bring me home, now?" she asked. "I have an appointment with a friend at ten and I want to do my chores first."  
"Of course," he nodded. 

At her apartment building he stopped the car in front of the door. To her surprise he stepped out of the car, too, and walked her to the door. There he turned to her, reached out and framed her face and gave her a soft kiss, which lasted several seconds. Mac was stunned.  
"Just collecting my winnings," he declared with a smile, and before she could react he turned, walked to the car again and was gone. Mac stood rooted to the ground, her fingers on the spot his lips had rested only seconds before. She still could feel the slight pressure and taste his taste. 

_3__th__ of December  
Sport Centre somewhere in Washington  
_It wasn't Mac's most favourite pastime, but when he had invited her she had said yes. She knew he loved basketball and she was happy to humour him and spend time with him. After all, when she wanted some company, he came with her, even when it wasn't something he fancied. And since the alternative was a boring Sunday afternoon all alone in an empty house …  
Besides, he had promised her dinner afterwards.  
She threw him a sideways glance. He was talking to the man on his other side, commenting on and discussing the movements of the players. She bit back a sigh. He looked so handsome when he was relaxed.

The coach signalled a time-out. Quickly his men gathered around him and listened to the instructions he gave. In the meantime the stadium speaker decided it was time for some other little fun. The spotlight swung the audience and the camera followed suit, projecting its catch on the large screens. Harm and Mac weren't paying much attention until ….  
"Kiss, kiss, kiss," the audience chanted  
The man Harm was talking to gave him a nudge. "Look," he pointed. "You're on."  
"Kiss, kiss, kiss!" the audience went on.  
Looking at the screen Harm and Mac saw their faces, magnified several times and framed in a large heart shaped box.  
Harm was the first to recover from the shock. He leaned in and gave his partner a warm kiss on the mouth. The audience laughed and cheered and Mac went red. Luckily for her the referee decided the coaches had had enough time with their men and blew his whistle, indicating the game was to continue. 

_15__th__ of December  
JAG Headquarters  
_The bullpen was filled with the normal everyday hubbub. Officers walked in and out, visitors were announced and led to the right offices, trolleys with files stood everywhere.  
The elevator doors opened and in came the Admiral. Tiner spotted him right away.  
"Officer on deck," he warned and the buzz came to a standstill.  
Everyone expected the usual 'As you are', but the Admiral looked around.  
"Where is Major MacKenzie?" he asked.  
"In her office, Sir," his yeoman answered and was already on his feet to warn Mac. When she entered the bullpen, Chegwidden ordered "Front and centre, Major."  
A bit surprised Mac did as told and immediately a large circle of co-workers formed around them, among whom Harm.  
"Major, I just came from a meeting at the Pentagon and I'm happy to announce your promotion to Lieutenant Colonel," her CO came straight to the point.  
Mac had difficulty to keep her jaw from dropping, but than a happy smile appeared on her face. She came to attention.  
"Sir, thank you, Sir."  
The Admiral rummaged through his briefcase to come up with a little box. From it he took the shoulder insignia which he attached to Mac's shoulders. Then he looked around in a circle, until he spotted Harm.  
"I'll leave the honours to your partner," he all but smirked.  
Harm came forward. He knew he had to move careful; there were rules and regulations. But nevertheless he made the most of it, giving Mac a soft kiss on each cheek. His CO watched, one of his rare smiles on his face. When Harm stepped back, he nodded, ordered "As you are," and disappeared into his office. Immediately Mac was surrounded by co-workers, congratulating her with her promotion. 

_21__th__ of December  
Washington  
Outside Mac's building_  
She was beautiful. Correct that, she was downright gorgeous. And she was his. At least for the evening, that is. Looking in the rear-view mirror he pulled a face against himself. To be honest, he felt a bit like Cinderella, going to the ball, in his case, the Justice/Navy ball. She was his 'date', but only for tonight and it would be twelve o'clock way to early.  
Next to him Mac coughed.  
"Aren't you going to drive?"  
Harm jumped and turned on the ignition. His brusque behaviour caused the car to hiccup and make a little jump. Mac laughed out loud.  
"Easy does it, Flyboy. It's not a F16."  
Harm threw her a mocked annoyed look, but then betrayed himself with a grin. 

The place was decorated beautifully. A large Christmas tree dominated the hall, a pile of presents at its foot. All doorways were adorned with garlands and red and white poinsettias served as table decorations. It wasn't before long they had found their table and were greeted by the Admiral and their co-workers Sturgis Turner and his date - who introduced herself as Miranda Harris - and Bud and Harriet Roberts. Sidney Walker, the Admiral's partner, completed their table of eight.  
At half past seven their host, Senator McMillen took the stand and the crowd went silent.  
"I like to welcome you at the annual Justice/Navy ball. We are very glad to have you here. A special welcome to Secnav Alexander Nelson."  
The man stood and with a slight bow he acknowledged the round of applause.  
McMillen continued, "In a few moments my wife will tell you a bit about tonight's charity and then we hope you enjoy the food and the dance. May I introduce to you: my lovely wife Susan."  
Again the guests applauded, while the tall brunette took the stand.  
"As you all will know tonight's revenues will go to Not Quite A Widow(er), a support group for women and men married with veterans with readjustment problems. Unfortunately many of our veterans suffer from the aftermath of their war efforts. Families struggle and sometimes it's not possible for the veteran to stay and live at home anymore. We all know the sad numbers of homelessness among them. But in our longing to help them, it's easy to forget the other group: the wives, husbands and children. They mourn the loss of a loved one, not dead, but affected so much by war experiences, that he – or she – has changed beyond recognition. Wives and husbands who sometimes see a divorce as the only solution. Not Quite A Widow(er) tries to help those people, helping them with information, with the maze of bureaucracy, but also with support groups. I like you to watch a short movie."  
She turned around to signal and from the ceiling a screen lowered. A moment later a short documentary started about the work of Not Quite A Widow(er). Five minutes later it was finished and the screen rose again.  
"I'm sure you all support Not Quite A Widow(er). Five of their workers are here as well; if you have any questions, they'll be happy to answer them. You will recognize them by their blue pin-back buttons." She nodded at a table and two men and three women stood, turned around and faced the audience.  
"The only thing I have left to do, is wishing you a great evening," Susan ended her little speech and she was rewarded with a round of applause.  
Then the first wave of waiters entered the hall, carrying plates of appetizers and for the next hour and a half course after course was served. The appetizers were followed by soup, then a small salad with sea fruit, followed by the main course of lamb's rack with potato croquettes and several vegetables. Desserts were coupes of orange bavarois and a small cheese board. At the end mocha coffee and bonbons were served. Harm was glad they had kept the servings small. Mac on the other hand hadn't minded the second chop of lamb, happily handed over by her vegetarian friend, and was also happy to help Harm with his share of the chocolates.  
During dinner, soft music had been played by pianist and now he was joined by a cellist, two violinists, an oboist and bassoonist. It was time to dance. Harm turned to Mac and reached out.  
"May I have this dance, my lady?"  
With a smile Mac allowed him to lead her to the dancefloor. He was a good dancer and she loved to be in his arms. Admiral Chegwidden and Sidney, Bud and Harriet and Sturgis and Miranda also circled around at the dancefloor. They exchanged a look; when would their friends finally pull their heads out of their sixes and got it right?  
In the meantime Harm drew Mac a little bit closer. She sighed and looked up to him with dazed eyes. Her lips were slightly parted and he couldn't resist the temptation to a soft kiss. When her brows rose in question, he pointed to the ceiling.  
"Mistletoe," he softly said and smiled. She smiled back, hiding the disappointment. 

An hour later they stood and watched the dancing. Both had done a few dances with their friends, alternating with each other and were eager for a drink now. Which wasn't difficult to obtain, countless waiters circled the space with their trays. They both took a glass, he a red wine and she a sparkling water.  
"You realise you're de designated driver now," he chuckled. Mac grinned back; she had already known, but didn't care. Not that that held her back from making the most of the situation.  
"You know you owe me one now, right," she laughed.  
"I know. Whatever you want," he laughed back. 

Two hours later she executed the task of designated driver and it wasn't before long they reached Harm's place. Mac walked up with him to his door. She had never done that and to hide his confusion he took her hand with a flourish and kissed it.  
"Thank you for your kindness, my sweet lady," he smiled.  
Suddenly Mac couldn't take it anymore. "If you want to kiss me, kiss me, d*mn it! Don't look for lame excuses!" she busted out. She knew she was playing with fire, but she just had enough. She had enough of just dreaming of him, just fantasizing about a future together, enough of only a kiss when he could find an excuse for it!  
Harm swallowed heavily. What was happening; why was she suddenly so angry? But looking into her fire spitting eyes he realised the pain behind the anger.  
"Okay," he said and now he didn't hold back. His arms surrounded her and pulled her flush against his well-muscled body. Taking a second to establish she didn't feel uncomfortable or wanted to protest he lowered his head and slowly touched his lips to hers.  
Mac closed her eyes. Finally!  
The kiss went on for a long time, but when he pulled back, just far and long enough to get some air, Mac moaned in protest. A second later he was back for more, kissing her slowly but thorough. Finally the kiss came to a natural end and they stared at each other. Mac was still in a daze; Harm on other hand became increasingly nervous. What was she going to do?  
He found out soon enough. As soon as Mac had somewhat recovered, she raised her hand to his face and caressed his cheek.  
"That's so much better," she sighed.  
A relieved smile spread out over Harm's face and once more he leaned in, now for a quick peck.  
Mac stepped back, but didn't let go of his hand.  
"Sweetheart, I need my hand back in order to open the door," Harm softly said. Mac blushed and he smiled. Having his hands free he made quick work of unlocking and opening the door and pulling her with him. Inside he gathered her in his arms once more.  
When their first needs were met, he led her to the couch. Both were silent, absorbing the latest developments. Finally Harm opened his mouth.  
"You're right, you know. I was looking for excuses. Excuses to touch you, excuses to kiss you."  
"Why?" Mac whispered. "Didn't you know I …"  
"No," he shook his head. "I hoped; after all, you never smacked me in the face, but I didn't know. And I was too scared to ask; I couldn't face a rejection."  
Now Mac smacked his arm. "Oaf!" she scolded. "I kissed you back, in front of a complete stadium and it didn't occur to you I wasn't opposed to kissing you?!"  
Harm hung his head.  
"I'm sorry."  
Mac decided to have mercy.  
"Well, now you know, what do you have to say?"  
Although he felt his heart throbbing in his throat, Harm decided to take the plunge.  
"Sarah, you were right. I wanted to kiss you for a long time. Not because you hurt yourself or a lost race or a kiss-cam or a promotion, although that deserves a kiss, I wanted to kiss you because …," he swallowed "because I love you. Because I'm in love with you."  
Mac was stunned. Although she had hoped for a declaration, this was more than she had expected. He loved her and was not too shy to tell her in no unmistaken words. Realising his increasing nervousness, after all for once he had worn his heart on his sleeve and was waiting for her response, she drew him in a hug, her arms tightly locked around his neck.  
"I love you, too," she whispered hoarsely, pressing her cheek against his. And then his arms were around her, like he never wanted to let her go. Which was exactly what he intended. 

Although both would have loved to spend the night together, they also had agreed it would be rushing things. Harm walked Mac to the door.  
He looked up to the ceiling.  
"Too bad I forgot to hang mistletoe. This would have been a great place," he grinned teasingly.  
Mac laughed out loud.  
"Sorry. But you don't need an excuse to kiss me anymore, do you?"  
Harm laughed, too.  
"No, not anymore," he agreed, before lowering his head once more. 

_**Merry Christmas to all of you  
**_


End file.
